I’m having a garage sale, yard sale, junk sale, whatever you want to call it, in 2 days. There are piles like this all over my house.
Once the garage sale piles are gone it will feel great to have my house back, hopefully with less clutter and more money in my pocket.
My last yard sale was in 2012 when I got out of the antiques business. I purged like crazy then and had the biggest sale ever. Since then I haven’t bought a lot of junk. Still, it’s crazy the amount of stuff I have accumulated in just a few years. Most of it was for jewelry making, show props, etc.
And some of what I’m selling this time is the part of my stash that I wasn’t quite ready to get rid of at my last sale. I’m ready now. I’m ready for a clean palette so I can freshen up and lighten up the décor in our guest bedrooms. I’m ready for a king size bed to replace the queen size hubby and I have slept on for years. Any money I make is going toward a king size mattress. Roomy bed, here I come!
I’ll be ready for some R&R after the sale. But I’ll be back in a few days to let you know how it went.
The following is a re-post which originally ran in June 2014. Since July 4 is right around the corner I though it would be a great time to share it again.
Summer is in full swing, with swimming, baseball, bbqs, nights on the patio, lightning bugs…ahhhh. And I’m starting to hear fireworks, a definite sign of summer. Today is #45 in my series, Girls Want Pearls, and I have a patriotic décor project to show you. It’s a play on my previous post here. I’m going to show you how to make Pearl and Bead Patriotic Sparkler Sprays for your July 4th table or buffet.
The supply list is short: 20 gauge wire, pearls, red beads, blue beads, foil, glitter and glue. I have actually taken vintage mercury bead sprays and modified them but I’ll show you how to make them from scratch.
To create a bouquet of this size (2 sprays):
Start by cutting 8 pieces of wire, approx. 14 inches in length. Twist 4 pieces of wire together approx. 6 inches from the bottom to form a wire spray. Thread the beads and pearls on, in solid or alternating patterns. Repeat steps to make the second spray.
Cap them at the top with foil using the method shown here:
The above bouquet is 4 sprays.
That’s it! You can make several sprays and place them as centerpieces or to beautify your buffet table.
It’s been quite a while since I’ve shared what I’ve been making in my jewelry studio. That’s because I haven’t been in there for a while! Today I have four pairs of lace ball earrings that all started with a large wooden bead.
I hand covered each wooden bead using antique lace scraps from my stash.
Each pair was designed to be unique, pairing them with different baubles.
I like to wear shorter styles some days and longer styles other days, depending on my mood and outfit, so I created some of each.
For the above pair, I incorporated pieces of an antique wooden rosary.
All four designs are now available in my shop, hand crafted and one of a kind at $20 a pair. Thanks for stopping by!
I am a sucker for a beautiful fabric, so I love the analogy of friendship as fabric. Some are thick and strong, others are thin and frail. Some are bright and colorful, others are plain and practical. Some are best at blocking the sun, others are meant to let light in. Some can stretch, others are only stiff and rigid.
Reading this quote that I DEARLY love made me think about friendships in my own life. There have been times in my life when I have leaned heavily on the support of a friend. So much so, that I’ve worried if I’m wearing out the fabric of our friendship. But then we share good times together again, laughing after a good cry, and I know nothing could be further from the truth. I know, too, that the time will come when I will reciprocate and be her support. True friendship cannot be worn ragged. The more you use it (not abuse it) the stronger it becomes. In good times and bad.
Being a true friend means seeing all the crusty, peely imperfections and loving in spite of (or even because of) those flaws. Most friends, like my curtains, will come and go. But a few remain for a lifetime. May you be draped in the forever kind of friendship.
Welcome to DIY Double Dip Flip! Heather and I are excited to share our fourth project in this series where we start with an inspiration piece from either fashion or decor, then we each show you our unique take on how to use the idea to create something entirely different in decor or fashion. For this month’s inspiration I chose a Butterfly Smoking Slipper by Jon Josef. ………………………………………………………………………The Shoes
I first fell in love with these adorable smoking slippers because of the style and colors. Then the butterflies jumped out at me. I had been planning on making some art work using a bunch of helicopters (a.k.a. maple seeds) I had gathered and I knew a butterfly would be the perfect subject.
And now I give you my flip for this month:
I picked up an old window at the flea market for $10. I decided on a coral color scheme and created an ombre effect by mixing the paint myself.
I love the way the helicopters look in their natural dried state, so I chose to leave them that way for the outer and inner borders of the butterfly.
Now for the how to portion of the post. To create your own maple seed butterfly art you’ll need:
1) Maple Seeds (a.k.a. helicopters) 2) Old Window or Framed Glass 3) Craft Paints 4) Glue (I used E-6000)
Spring and fall are the best times to gather maple seeds. After you collect them you’ll want to allow them to dry out. You can accelerate the drying process by laying them out in a single layer in a window sill. After a few days they will fade to the desired color.
Decide on a color scheme and buy or mix your paint. If an ombre effect is desired you can start with the darkest paint as your base and then mix in white or cream to lighten the formula each time you paint a new layer.
Draw or print out an outline of a butterfly sized to fit the frame you are using.
Place the drawing beneath the glass, centered within your frame. Begin gluing the helicopters around the outer edge, following the general shape of the outline as shown.
Once you have finished the outline you are ready to start on the second layer.
Glue the second layer, overlapping the first layer and covering the seed pod.
Continue gluing each consecutive layer in the same manner until your butterfly is complete.
Thank you so much for stopping in. Heather has her own unique project to share with you using the same sweet slippers as her inspiration.
She always has something creative up her sleeve! Visit her at Woods of Bell Trees to check out her interpretation of this month’s flip!
Happy new week! I’m guest posting today over at the talented Megin’s of VMG206. She has a 30 Days of Summer series going on right now with all kinds of great summertime projects, recipes and ideas for making your summer fun and memorable. I hope you’ll go over and check it out.
And please come back tomorrow for what looks to be my
